How the eReader has evolved

I love my Kindle Fire!

For me and many people, the concept of the eReader is a great one. We can carry a library in our pockets, so standing in queues is now a breeze because we've always got a book to hand. We've become accustomed to filling in tinier and tinier gaps in our day with reading on our handheld devices.

Traditionally, reading has always been considered a past time best suited to a quiet, distraction free environment, but even eReaders (er Kindle Fire - talking from my experience and usage!) are now deviating into the tablet mainstream with social media, email, movies, music and videos all vying for our attention.

For me this isn't a problem. I actually wanted an all singing, all dancing eReader because I love having everything at my fingertips wherever I am, but adding to the "noise" on the screen with all this technology, is our dwindling attention span. We want things fast and the ability to switch from function to function to yet another function is telling. I read a great quote at the weekend from the author of the book "Too Big to Know". He basically says that reading on the web does not lead you along a logical path, it leads you along a path of interest and if you write long-form now and it goes unnoticed, then very likely your work has failed. This is why I blog short, snappy posts and pack the ideas in. I want the discussion to come at a later stage more convenient to my audience and as and when they have time to follow up.

Maybe you are like me and switch from a real book or magazine to your Kindle and iPhone and then back again on a regular basis. There are times in my week when I'm looking through articles on Twitter or I'm after some quick and easy reading because I'm most likely queuing for something. And then there are times - usually in the evenings - when I want to put a lid on the World, pull out my latest "physical" book and get well and truly lost in it.

Whether you agree with the idea of an eReader or not, there are two consistent factors sitting at the table: 1) there will always be people who want to read and 2) there will always be people who want to tell stories.

I believe storytelling will continue to morph alongside new and exciting technology and we'll take a look at enhanced eBooks as the series continues.